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Adaptive Self-Regulation of Unattainable Goals: Goal Disengagement, Goal Reengagement, and Subjective Well-Being
Abstract
Three studies examined associations between goal disengagement, goal reengagement, and subjective well-being. In Study 1, 115 undergraduates reported on the extent to which they were able to abandon unattainable goals and reengage their efforts in alternative goals. Study 2 examined the importance of goal disengagement and goal reengagement in groups of young adults and older adults (N = 120). In Study 3, a sample of parents of children with cancer and parents of medically healthy children was examined (N = 45). The findings confirmed that goal disengagement and goal reengagement can be associated with ratings of high subjective well-being. In addition, the results showed that goal disengagement and goal reengagement can have interactive effects on subjective well-being. The importance of the findings for effective self-regulation and successful development are discussed.
... Positive associations have been found with mental functioning (Van Damme et al., 2019) and post-traumatic growth (Liao & Bluck, 2018). Negative associations have been reported with depressive symptoms, perceived stress, emotional upset (e.g., Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), and anxiety (Van Damme et al., 2019). In contrast, reengaging in the pursuit of new or revised goals has been shown to positively relate to self-mastery, purpose in life (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), mental functioning (Van Damme et al., 2019), and post-traumatic growth (Liao & Bluck, 2018). ...
... Negative associations have been reported with depressive symptoms, perceived stress, emotional upset (e.g., Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), and anxiety (Van Damme et al., 2019). In contrast, reengaging in the pursuit of new or revised goals has been shown to positively relate to self-mastery, purpose in life (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), mental functioning (Van Damme et al., 2019), and post-traumatic growth (Liao & Bluck, 2018). Reengagement has been negatively related to school burnout (Chang & Lee, 2020), depressive symptoms, perceived stress (e.g., Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), and suicidal thoughts (R. C. O'Connor & Forgan, 2007;Tajikzadeh et al., 2015). ...
... In contrast, reengaging in the pursuit of new or revised goals has been shown to positively relate to self-mastery, purpose in life (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), mental functioning (Van Damme et al., 2019), and post-traumatic growth (Liao & Bluck, 2018). Reengagement has been negatively related to school burnout (Chang & Lee, 2020), depressive symptoms, perceived stress (e.g., Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), and suicidal thoughts (R. C. O'Connor & Forgan, 2007;Tajikzadeh et al., 2015). As such, the capacity to find, commit to, and pursue new goals is a protective factor that can buffer the negative effects of poor goal disengagement on perceived stress among younger adults (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003). ...
... Maintaining independence allows older adults to retain a sense of control over their lives, fostering a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment [40]. When individuals believe in their ability to navigate challenges and achieve their goals, their self-efficacy strengthens, leading to more active engagement in life [41]. ...
... It allows them to see possibilities where others might see limitations and encourages resilience in the face of adversity. Cultivating a mindset that embraces challenges as growth opportunities can significantly impact well-being in later life [41]. ...
In the community health nursing context, informal listening sessions are opportunities for engagement toward understanding and responding to health and issues that relate to or impact health status. They are a source of information, affirmation, and observation from the community’s perspectives. This study aimed to explore how community listening sessions enhance resilience among older adults facing life challenges. Qualitative descriptive design was employed, and purposive sampling was utilized. Listening sessions were conducted by trained professionals in the two communities in an urbanized city in the Philippines with a total of 33 informants who were at least 60 years old and have experienced or are experiencing significant challenge/s in life which allowed for the gathering of enough information to reach saturation. Collaizi’s method of data analysis was used. Findings are summarized based on the word Resilience: Religious Faith and Spirituality, Emotional Support from Family, Social Engagement, Independence and Self-Efficacy, Learning through Listening, Inner Strength and Coping Skills, Encouragement and Positivity, Networks of Community Support, Challenges in Health and other areas and Engagement in Meaningful Activities. The study highlights the critical role of listening sessions in community health, providing a safe, nonjudgmental platform for individuals to share their resilience and healthspan experiences. This concludes that resilience is a dynamic, multifaceted construct influenced by various factors, including faith, family support, social interactions, personal strengths, and community networks. These findings highlight the need for community health initiatives to adopt a holistic, inclusive approach that considers the diverse elements contributing to resilience.
Trial Registration/Exemption Determination University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board (STUDY23020119).
... Life goals like having children, or to a lesser degree having a successful career, are tied to developmental deadlines after which their attainment becomes extremely difficult or impossible. Cross-sectional research shows that once developmental deadlines are crossed, holding on to a goal that is no longer attainable reduces well-being (Heckhausen et al., 2001;Wrosch et al., 2003Wrosch et al., , 2013. In a longitudinal study that focused on maternal well-being, Salmela-Aro et al. (2001) found that self-focused goals during pregnancy predicted increases in depressive symptoms, whereas family-focused goals predicted decreases. ...
... Second, we excluded individuals who experienced the death of a child because this is a nonnormative experience with profound impact on goal setting (e.g., Wrosch et al., 2003). These individuals may not think of themselves as having achieved the goal to have children. ...
For many people, parenthood constitutes a crucial part of a successful life. Yet, the number of adults who never have children is increasing and has prompted concerns about their well-being. Past research mostly focused on parents and rarely investigated factors that are theoretically meaningful for the well-being of adults without children. Our preregistered study uses a propensity-score matched design to investigate how life goals contribute to differences between adults with and without children in the development of eight well-being facets. Leveraging data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we constructed a matched sample comprising N = 562 individuals (average participation = 24.9 waves) who provided data from when they were young adults (ages 18–30) to an age when parenthood becomes less likely (age 40 for women, age 50 for men). We find almost no significant differences in the average midlife well-being trajectories of adults with and without children. Only in young adulthood, people without children reported better mental health, lower negative affect as well as lower positive affect, and more loneliness. Select evidence for a gender moderation suggests that fathers were less lonely than mothers as well as men and women without children. Prioritizing the goal to have children during early adulthood was related to lower midlife mental health, cognitive, and affective well-being in adults without children, but not in parents. Disengaging from the goal to have children was associated with positive changes in life satisfaction in adults without children.
... There are also many reasons why goal dimensions may vary over time: First, variations in some goal dimensions (e.g., commitment) may reflect typical temporal patterns of motivation over time, including high motivation at the beginning of goal pursuit, decreasing motivation in the middle, and increasing motivation again as deadlines or goal attainment approach (referred to as "goal gradient," "slacking in the middle," and "goal looms larger-effect"; Förster et al., 2001;Hull, 1932;Kivetz et al., 2006;Touré-Tillery & Fishbach, 2012). Second, variation in some goal dimensions (e.g., progress) may reflect the fact that goal pursuit rarely unfolds in perfect accordance with expectations at the time of goal setting and that obstacles may stand in the way of goal attainment (Wrosch et al., 2003). Obstacles may also accumulate over time and culminate in action crisis, a situation in which a person is torn between persisting in or withdrawing from goal pursuit, which negatively affects the desirability and attainability of a goal (Ghassemi et al., 2017;Wrosch et al., 2003). ...
... Second, variation in some goal dimensions (e.g., progress) may reflect the fact that goal pursuit rarely unfolds in perfect accordance with expectations at the time of goal setting and that obstacles may stand in the way of goal attainment (Wrosch et al., 2003). Obstacles may also accumulate over time and culminate in action crisis, a situation in which a person is torn between persisting in or withdrawing from goal pursuit, which negatively affects the desirability and attainability of a goal (Ghassemi et al., 2017;Wrosch et al., 2003). Third, even in the absence of barriers, people pursue different goals simultaneously , and the pursuit of one goal may have self-regulatory consequences for the other: To the extent that personal resources for goal pursuit, such as time, effort, or money are limited and people want to pursue multiple goals, it is natural that priorities shift and that goal dimensions of each focal goal, such as commitment or progress wax and wane during goal pursuit. ...
When pursuing personal goals, individuals may experience fluctuations in goal-related dimensions like commitment and enjoyment. We present an approach to describe, analyze, and explain such within-person variability. In Part I, we determined to which extent within-person variability over time contributes to the total variability in goal dimensions, including between-person and between-goal variability. We observed strongest variability between goals, followed by variability over time, and between persons. In Part II, we estimated the within-person variability for each goal dimension using the indices dispersion (individual standard deviation), instability (root of squared successive differences), and inertia (autoregressive parameter). Dispersion was above-average for goal facilitation and progress and below-average for external motivation, value, and demand. Instability was above-average for facilitation and progress and below-average for commitment and demand. Inertia was above-average for facilitation and below-average for progress. Highlighting the relevance of self-regulatory competencies, we found that, when excluding outliers with extremely high variability, people with higher trait self-control, higher conscientiousness, and lower neuroticism showed lower variability. Both higher levels of trait self-control and conscientiousness predicted lower instability and higher inertia of goal dimensions. Conversely, higher neuroticism predicted higher dispersion and instability. We discuss these findings in the context of the Cybernetic Big Five theory.Keywords: Variability, goals, self-regulation, self-control, conscientiousness
... There are also many reasons why goal dimensions may vary over time: First, variations in some goal dimensions (e.g., commitment) may reflect typical temporal patterns of motivation over time, including high motivation at the beginning of goal pursuit, decreasing motivation in the middle, and increasing motivation again as deadlines or goal attainment approach (referred to as "goal gradient," "slacking in the middle," and "goal looms larger-effect"; Förster et al., 2001;Hull, 1932;Kivetz et al., 2006;Touré-Tillery & Fishbach, 2012). Second, variation in some goal dimensions (e.g., progress) may reflect the fact that goal pursuit rarely unfolds in perfect accordance with expectations at the time of goal setting and that obstacles may stand in the way of goal attainment (Wrosch et al., 2003). Obstacles may also accumulate over time and culminate in action crisis, a situation in which a person is torn between persisting in or withdrawing from goal pursuit, which negatively affects the desirability and attainability of a goal (Ghassemi et al., 2017;Wrosch et al., 2003). ...
... Second, variation in some goal dimensions (e.g., progress) may reflect the fact that goal pursuit rarely unfolds in perfect accordance with expectations at the time of goal setting and that obstacles may stand in the way of goal attainment (Wrosch et al., 2003). Obstacles may also accumulate over time and culminate in action crisis, a situation in which a person is torn between persisting in or withdrawing from goal pursuit, which negatively affects the desirability and attainability of a goal (Ghassemi et al., 2017;Wrosch et al., 2003). Third, even in the absence of barriers, people pursue different goals simultaneously , and the pursuit of one goal may have self-regulatory consequences for the other: To the extent that personal resources for goal pursuit, such as time, effort, or money are limited and people want to pursue multiple goals, it is natural that priorities shift and that goal dimensions of each focal goal, such as commitment or progress wax and wane during goal pursuit. ...
When pursuing personal goals, individuals may experience fluctuations in goal-related dimensions like commitment and enjoyment. We present an approach to describe, analyze, and explain such within-person variability. In Part I, we determined to which extent within-person variability over time contributes to the total variability in goal dimensions, including between-person and between-goal variability. We observed strongest variability between goals, followed by variability over time, and between persons. In Part II, we estimated the within-person variability for each goal dimension using the indices dispersion (individual standard deviation), instability (root of squared successive differences), and inertia (autoregressive parameter). Dispersion was above-average for goal facilitation and progress and below-average for external motivation, value, and demand. Instability was above-average for facilitation and progress and below-average for commitment and demand. Inertia was above-average for facilitation and below-average for progress. Highlighting the relevance of self-regulatory competencies, we found that, when excluding outliers with extremely high variability, people with higher trait self-control, higher conscientiousness, and lower neuroticism showed lower variability. Both higher levels of trait self-control and conscientiousness predicted lower instability and higher inertia of goal dimensions. Conversely, higher neuroticism predicted higher dispersion and instability. We discuss these findings in the context of the Cybernetic Big Five theory.
... We hypothesized that participants who completed the BA intervention would show greater improvement in engagement with life at 1-week post-intervention and that those gains would be better maintained 3 months post-intervention, compared with participants assigned to the active control condition (as evidenced by a condition × time interaction). Several outcomes including social engagement, engaged living, loneliness, increased activation/decreased avoidance, and goal reengagement were selected as they broadly represented social, motivational, and self-regulatory components of engagement with life [13][14][15][16] that complemented our primary outcome. Due to the focus of BA on promoting selfperpetuating positive behavior change, we further hypothesized that participants who underwent the BA intervention would experience more sustained improvements on these engagement-focused secondary measures than those in the PP condition. ...
... Goal reengagement was assessed using the goal reengagement subscale of the Goal Adjustment Scale [13]. This measure consists of six statements (e.g., "I start working on other new goals") to which participants indicate their level of agreement on a five-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). ...
Introduction. Engagement with life is central to ageing well. There is currently a lack of flexible programs for promoting engagement that tailor to the unique interests, capacities, and life circumstances of individuals. We designed and evaluated a new program for promoting engagement with later life based on principles of behavioral activation. Methods. A total of 135 adults aged 65 and older who scored at or below the median on the Life Engagement Test were randomly assigned to either a 6-week behavioral activation program (n = 69); or a 6-week well-being program based on brief positive psychology interventions (the active control; n = 66). Participants completed assessments at baseline, 1-week follow-up and 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome was engagement with life, and secondary outcome measures included social network characteristics, measures of mental health, well-being, and psychological and self-regulatory resources. Results. Participants in both conditions showed improvements in engagement with life post-intervention that were sustained at 3-months. Post-intervention improvements in both conditions were observed across most secondary outcomes; however, for several outcomes, participants with more limited functional and cognitive resources benefitted from participation in the positive psychology (active control) condition, but not the treatment condition. Conclusion. Similar levels of improvement in engagement with life and well-being were evident for participants who completed a behavioral activation-focused intervention, compared with participants who completed a positive psychology focused intervention. The positive psychology approach may confer greater benefits for emotional well-being among those with poorer functional and cognitive abilities.
... Successful self-regulation also requires that workers know when to abandon goals that are unlikely to be reached, in favor of pursuing goals that can be achieved and that will contribute to the same higher-order goal (Wrosch et al., 2003). As people operate in changing settings, they must also change how they regulate their goal pursuits (Kruglanski et al., 2018). ...
... Workers may also feel the need to disengage from some identityrelated pursuits in favor of others that are more likely to support their identity (Berkman et al., 2017;Wrosch et al., 2003). Concerning goals relevant to one's career, there are a host of positive states that workers might desire to attain. ...
Research has focused on the effects of the organizational setting on work identity. However, platform‐based gig work in particular features challenges to developing a positive work identity, such as high autonomy in the absence of organizational structure, and often the lack of a clear occupational title. We conducted focus groups with platform‐based gig drivers ( N = 53) and analyzed our data with an abductive approach, applying concepts from self‐regulation theories. Our model presents commitment to career success goals as a mechanism linking higher‐order abstract identity and lower‐order concrete task goals. The career success goals that workers prioritize provide the criteria for achieving a positive work identity. Gig drivers desired to attain goal states such as higher earnings and autonomy that may be indicative of career success. Goal prioritization by oneself, given multiple desirable career success goals, could be overwhelming. Yet, compared to traditional workers, independent gig workers are also granted greater freedom to prioritize the career success goals that are perceived as achievable, to protect a positive work identity. Our study thus has implications for identity theory and self‐regulation. We discuss practical implications to support independent workers given how they conceive of career success and positive work identity.
... It has also been claimed that sad moods, as opposed to sad emotions, are not associated with a distinctive facial expression (Ekman, 1992b). Behaviorally, sadness has been associated with decreased effort and can support positive adjustment by promoting disengagement from unattainable goals, which allows for the reallocation of resources to other areas (Wrosch et al., 2003). This reduced effort can manifest itself in slow and lethargic movement, reduced engagement with the world, diminished interest, social withdrawal, and infrequent, slower, and lower-pitched speech with mumbled articulation and darker timbre (Huron 2018). ...
... First, sadness can provide important information about the status of a person's current goals (e.g., how fast is progress being made toward them?) and can influence the motivation of a person to disengage from a goal in adaptive ways (e.g., Wrosch et al., 2003). For example, when a goal cannot be achieved, or when achieving it requires effort that is disproportionate to the benefit from goal achievement, it can be more adaptive to realize that this goal should be abandoned and dedicate one's efforts to a different goal that is tenable. ...
Sadness is a universal part of human experience. We all experience sadness at one time or another – after the dissolution of a romantic relationship, a failure in an important exam, or even just at the end of a great vacation – sadness is part of life. While transient feelings of sadness are common, and may even be beneficial at times, a substantial minority of people experience prolonged periods of sadness that are accompanied by difficulties to experience positive emotions as well as a host of cognitive and physiological symptoms – known together as clinical depression. This chapter discusses both sadness and depression, delineates the differences between them, and examines their physiological and neural markers and functions.
... Theories such as the two-process model of developmental regulation (Brandtstädter and Rothermund, 2002) or the motivational theory of lifespan development (Heckhausen et al., 2010) describe the importance of this interplay between goal persistence and goal adjustment for successful developmental regulation. Situational (e.g., action resources, goal substitutability and attainability) and personal (e.g., coping dispositions) factors determine whether, when, and how strongly a person reacts to problems in goal pursuit with persistence or adjustment (e.g., Brandstätter and Bernecker, 2022;Brandtstädter and Rothermund, 2002;Heckhausen et al., 2010;Wrosch et al., 2003b). ...
Introduction
Recently, Rühs et al. (2022) used an adapted ostracism-paradigm to study goal adjustment processes, and goal disengagement processes (GD) in particular, as regulatory responses to goal-blocking situations such as ostracism. The present study conceptually replicates this study and extends it by inclusion of sub-personal indicators of GD in the paradigm.
Methods
The goal to belong to a newly formed group was induced in 188 participants (Induction Phase). Afterwards, blockage of this goal was experimentally manipulated via ostracism: Participants were either included or excluded from their group in a virtual ball game (Cyberball, Blockage Phase). Finally, participants worked alone on a cognitive task to give regulatory responses some time to unfold. After each phase, dependent measures were recorded (e.g., indicators of GD and well-being).
Results
Exclusion (vs. inclusion) in Cyberball lead to a decrease in subjective attainability of the belonging goal (goal blockage) and to affective-cognitive and behavioral GD (e.g., explicit devaluation of the belonging goal and the own group, behavioral deprioritization of ostracizing compared to new group members in a following game). However, ostracism had no effect on implicit group evaluation (repeated IATs showed a constant own group bias) and although excluded participants recovered from ostracism-induced impairments in emotions and needs, associations between recovery and GD indicators were mixed.
Discussion
Most of the results of Rühs et al. (2022) could be replicated. Beyond that, the present study showed divergence of personal and sub-personal indicators of cognitive-affective GD (i.e., change in explicit and implicit group evaluations). This illustrates the importance of combining personal and sub-personal perspectives in GD research. Taken together, the study contributes to a conceptual and functional clarification of GD processes and, at the same time, offers a fruitful new perspective on coping with ostracism.
... Disinhibition may be an important component of self-regulatory or cybernetic systems of motivated behavior (Carver & White, 1994;Elliot & Thrash, 2002;Higgins & Cornwell, 2016;Gray & McNaughton, 2000;Monni et al., 2020), such that an adaptive state of Disinhibition may be beneficial in situations where normative behaviors are no longer beneficial (e.g., Asch's social conformity experiments, Milgram's obedience to authority studies, and the Bystander effect; Hirsch et al., 2011;van den Bos et al., 2011). As people navigate environments in pursuit of their goals, they need to dynamically identify and employ strategies to overcome obstacles that challenge their goal pursuit (DeYoung et al., 2015;Wrosch et al., 2003). The convergence of Integrity and Impulsivity within this framework suggests that Disinhibition is not merely a reflection of momentary impulse control failures but rather a more pervasive meta-trait that influences behavioral regulation across multiple domains. ...
Describing and understanding personality structure is fundamental to predict and explainhuman behavior. Recent research calls for large personality item pools to be analyzed fromthe bottom-up, as item-level analysis may reveal meaningful differences often obscured byaggregation. This study introduces and applies Taxonomic Graph Analysis (TGA), a comprehensivenetwork psychometrics framework aimed at identifying hierarchical structuresin personality from the bottom-up, to an open-source 300-item IPIP-NEO dataset (N =149,337). This framework addresses key methodological challenges that have hindered accuraterecovery of hierarchical structures, including local independence violations, wordingeffects, dimensionality assessment, and structural robustness. TGA revealed a three-levelstructure composed of 28 first-level dimensions (facets), 6 second-level dimensions (traits),and 3 third-level dimensions (meta-traits). Although some dimensions aligned with the theoreticalIPIP-NEO structure, there were considerable deviations including the emergenceof Sociability, Integrity, and Impulsivity traits at the second-level and a novel Disinhibitionmeta-trait at the third-level. The overarching theme of our findings was a hierarchical structurethat integrated empirical and theoretical findings that have been scattered across thepersonality literature, demonstrating TGA’s value to investigate hierarchical psychologicalconstructs. This study contributes to discussions on personality taxonomy by providing arigorous, data-driven perspective on the IPIP-NEO’s hierarchical structure.
... Disinhibition may be an important component of self-regulatory or cybernetic systems of motivated behavior (Carver & White, 1994;Elliot & Thrash, 2002;Higgins & Cornwell, 2016;Gray & McNaughton, 2000;Monni et al., 2020), such that an adaptive state of Disinhibition may be beneficial in situations where normative behaviors are no longer beneficial (e.g., Asch's social conformity experiments, Milgram's obedience to authority studies, and the Bystander effect; Hirsch et al., 2011;van den Bos et al., 2011). As people navigate environments in pursuit of their goals, they need to dynamically identify and employ strategies to overcome obstacles that challenge their goal pursuit (DeYoung et al., 2015;Wrosch et al., 2003). The convergence of Integrity and Impulsivity within this framework suggests that Disinhibition is not merely a reflection of momentary impulse control failures but rather a more pervasive meta-trait that influences behavioral regulation across multiple domains. ...
Describing and understanding personality structure is fundamental to predict and explainhuman behavior. Recent research calls for large personality item pools to be analyzed fromthe bottom-up, as item-level analysis may reveal meaningful differences often obscured byaggregation. This study introduces and applies Taxonomic Graph Analysis (TGA), a comprehensivenetwork psychometrics framework aimed at identifying hierarchical structuresin personality from the bottom-up, to an open-source 300-item IPIP-NEO dataset (N =149,337). This framework addresses key methodological challenges that have hindered accuraterecovery of hierarchical structures, including local independence violations, wordingeffects, dimensionality assessment, and structural robustness. TGA revealed a three-levelstructure composed of 28 first-level dimensions (facets), 6 second-level dimensions (traits),and 3 third-level dimensions (meta-traits). Although some dimensions aligned with the theoreticalIPIP-NEO structure, there were considerable deviations including the emergenceof Sociability, Integrity, and Impulsivity traits at the second-level and a novel Disinhibitionmeta-trait at the third-level. The overarching theme of our findings was a hierarchical structurethat integrated empirical and theoretical findings that have been scattered across thepersonality literature, demonstrating TGA’s value to investigate hierarchical psychologicalconstructs. This study contributes to discussions on personality taxonomy by providing arigorous, data-driven perspective on the IPIP-NEO’s hierarchical structure.
... Disinhibition may be an important component of self-regulatory or cybernetic systems of motivated behavior (Carver & White, 1994;Elliot & Thrash, 2002;Higgins & Cornwell, 2016;Gray & McNaughton, 2000;Monni et al., 2020), such that an adaptive state of Disinhibition may be beneficial in situations where normative behaviors are no longer beneficial (e.g., Asch's social conformity experiments, Milgram's obedience to authority studies, and the Bystander effect; Hirsch et al., 2011;van den Bos et al., 2011). As people navigate environments in pursuit of their goals, they need to dynamically identify and employ strategies to overcome obstacles that challenge their goal pursuit (DeYoung et al., 2015;Wrosch et al., 2003). The convergence of Integrity and Impulsivity within this framework suggests that Disinhibition is not merely a reflection of momentary impulse control failures but rather a more pervasive meta-trait that influences behavioral regulation across multiple domains. ...
Describing and understanding personality structure is fundamental to predict and explain human behavior. Recent research calls for large personality item pools to be analyzed from the bottom-up, as item-level analysis may reveal meaningful differences often obscured by aggregation. This study introduces and applies Taxonomic Graph Analysis (TGA), a comprehensive network psychometrics framework aimed at identifying hierarchical structures in personality from the bottom-up, to an open-source 300-item IPIP-NEO dataset (N = 149,337). This framework addresses key methodological challenges that have hindered accurate recovery of hierarchical structures, including local independence violations, wording effects, dimensionality assessment, and structural robustness. TGA revealed a three-level structure composed of 28 first-level dimensions (facets), 6 second-level dimensions (traits), and 3 third-level dimensions (meta-traits). Although some dimensions aligned with the theoretical IPIP-NEO structure, there were considerable deviations including the emergence of Sociability, Integrity, and Impulsivity traits at the second-level and a novel Disinhibition meta-trait at the third-level. The overarching theme of our findings was a hierarchical structure that integrated empirical and theoretical findings that have been scattered across the personality literature, demonstrating TGA's value to investigate hierarchical psychological constructs. This study contributes to discussions on personality taxonomy by providing a rigorous, data-driven perspective on the IPIP-NEO's hierarchical structure. K eywords personality taxonomy · network analysis · hierarchical · exploratory graph analysis
... While the engagement action strategies focus primarily on the father, the disengagement action strategies incorporate the expectant father's partner and the overall work-family dynamic. Proposition 2b of the action regulation theory suggests that when engagement strategies do not attain the desired goal of work-family balance then individuals are more likely to try a disengagement strategy, which occurs when individuals seek to either partially or fully disengage from the original work-family goals (Hirschi, et al., 2019;Wrosch et al., 2003). In this article, we incorporate the father's experience of family-towork conflict (FWC) to capture the failure to jointly meet work and family demands and capture the broader family interface and its impact on disengagement action strategies. ...
Do fathers experience discrimination during pregnancy? YES! In this study, we explore the experience of fathers’ pregnancy discrimination (FPD), or the perceived unfavorable treatment of fathers in the workplace due to their wives expecting a baby. Applying the action regulation model of work–family balance, we examine FPD as a resource barrier that impacts both the father’s perceived work–family balance and the father’s and mother’s turnover. In a sample of 247 expectant fathers across four time periods using a newly developed and validated measure of FPD, we examine the four different action strategies that fathers might use in reaction to the resource barrier of FPD to attain work and family goals. Policy use (engagement strategy) was ineffective, but going the extra mile (changing strategy) was effective in achieving greater perceived work–family balance. For those who used disengagement strategies, the father’s desire for the mother to turnover (sequencing strategy) contributed to the mother’s turnover while the father’s turnover intention (revising strategy) contributed to the father’s turnover as avenues for goal attainment. This research provides an empirical examination of the four action strategies simultaneously invoked in response to a resource barrier (FPD) with implications for perceived balance and actual turnover.
... Consistent with the proposition that relinquishing goal efforts while maintaining goal commitment can lead to distress (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), shelving-related opportunity costs may represent a psychological cost that could negatively affect the pursuit of the prioritized goal. Specifically, missing out on the shelved goal could taint motivation for the prioritized goal, as adding a negative attribute to the prioritized goal (e.g., "I have to miss out on my shelved goal to prioritize this goal") could render the net subjective value of the goal less positive (see Berkman et al., 2017 for an account of multiattribute integration). ...
To promote goal success, people may choose to temporarily shelve some goal pursuits to prioritize other goal pursuits. Unfortunately, shelving goals can lead to opportunity costs: having to miss out on the benefits of the shelved goal. The present research uses data from a 3-month intensive longitudinal diary study to test whether opportunity costs related to the shelved goal can undermine or support the motivation to pursue the prioritized goal. Results provide first evidence for both, a direct negative tainting and an indirect positive bolstering effect. Greater perceived shelving-related opportunity costs on a day predicted lower valuation of, commitment toward, and planned efforts for the prioritized goal on that day. However, greater perceived shelving-related opportunity costs also predicted perceptions of greater investment, which in turn predicted greater valuation of, commitment toward, and planned efforts for the prioritized goal. Taken together, these findings provide the first longitudinal evidence of motivational benefits and costs of goal shelving as a strategy for goal prioritization.
... Indeed, there's some empirical evidence that people who disengage from unproductive goals are happier than those who persist in pursuing them. 29 So, for example, if GoalPost / Goal-Line users consistently fall short of their exercise targets, they might become jaded about the possibility of living a healthier life and thus stop making efforts in this area. This disengagement might also promote user attrition. ...
When developing devices to encourage positive change in users, social psychology can offer useful conceptual resources. This article outlines three major theories from the discipline and discusses their implications for designing persuasive technologies.
... Given that people who see the world as dangerous tend to believe that they lack control over negative events (Clifton et al., 2019), it is possible that many people who see the world as dangerous believe that it is futile to try to avoid negative events in their relationships, which could reduce their pursuit of relationship avoidance goals despite their perception of threat. Such a possibility would be consistent with research suggesting that people disengage from goal pursuits when they do not believe they will be successful (Wrosch et al., 2003). Moreover, some who see the world as dangerous may have become acclimated to negative outcomes or may unconsciously strive to confirm their existing dangerous world belief (Janoff-Bulman, 1989;Nickerson, 1998), both of which could reduce participants' motivation to avoid negative outcomes in their relationships. ...
The current research examined implications of primal world beliefs—beliefs about the world’s basic character—for the maintenance of satisfying and mutually responsive relationships. In a dyadic daily diary study of romantic couples with a 1-year follow-up ( N = 236 couples and 6,411 days), those who saw the world as Good and Enticing were more satisfied with their relationships and responsive to their partners in everyday life, they had partners who were more satisfied and responsive, and they reported greater motivation for responsiveness over the year. These findings were corroborated by partner and informant reports of responsiveness, and they were mediated by approach relationship goals. Those who saw the world as Good and Enticing pursued rewarding experiences in their relationships, which predicted greater satisfaction and responsiveness of both partners. Results suggest that, by shaping goal pursuit, positive world beliefs may promote satisfying communal relationships that confirm those beliefs.
... First, we will examine how self-regulation strategies (vigilant monitoring and calm perseverance) relate to goal perception, in particular perceptions of goal attainability as a critical characteristic that determines goal striving (Carver & Scheier, 1998). Doubt about goal attainability may create distress and, in severe cases, goal abandonment (Wrosch et al., 2003). In contrast, a strong belief that the goal can be realized is generally associated with increased goal effort (Carver & Scheier, 1998;De Ridder & Kuijer, 2006). ...
... 22 The high number of learning skill goals related to meal prepping and menu planning might imply that these were created during struggles to adhere to program calorie goals for promote weight loss, and indicate a need for improved skill-building exercises for participant autonomy support in this type of intervention. 55,56 These findings echo recommendations from Swann et al.'s review highlighting a need to correctly specify learning goals for participants who may not be fully equipped to attain difficult performance goals in the context of physical activity goals, and warn of potential issues with program adherence related to prescribing difficult performance goals which might exceed a participant's capabilities too early. 57 The creation of adherence and motivation goals might indicate the degree that a given participant may be struggling in the program and at risk of a lapse. ...
Objective
Goal setting is a behavior change technique associated with improved change in outcomes. Digital (eHealth, mHealth) behavior change interventions often prescribe all goals with no opportunity for participants to create and track their own; thus, little is known about the types of goals participants create for themselves and their impacts on behavioral outcomes. This analysis describes the goals created by participants using an optional personal goal-setting component and evaluates the association between participant goal creation and weight loss in an eHealth adult weight loss intervention.
Methods
This represents a mixed methods QUANT-qual design to understand the types of goals users create for themselves and their impacts on behavior change outcomes. Qualitative codes were applied for the topic, behavior/outcome focus, adherence to SMART criteria, and repetition with count summaries. Quantitative analyses applied regression modeling to determine if the number of goals set was associated with the 6-month weight change, controlling for covariates.
Results
Participants (n = 363) set an average of 23.4 goals (SD = 22.7) over 6 months. Those who reached at least 5% weight loss set significantly more goals than those who lost between 1% and 4.99% or who lost <1% or gained weight (p's < 0.0001). Setting more personal goals was associated with significant weight loss reduction at 6 months, controlling for covariates (p's < 0.05).
Conclusions
Greater use of a personal goal-setting feature was associated with improved weight loss outcomes among active users. This can be a low-investment addition to digital behavior change interventions to contribute to improved outcomes.
... Goal flexibility is an example of a self-regulatory coping strategy enabling individuals to disengage from their original goal or reengage in alternative goals. 46,47 Goal flexibility is particularly helpful in a sporting context. Rather than fuelling distress through feeling guilty about abandoning a goal or not reaching it, instead goal flexibility gives the individual a sense of control which has positive implications for well-being. ...
Despite increased attention on the menstrual cycle in sport, research has focused largely on physiological changes, with relatively little consideration for fluctuations in psychological responses and coping strategies used in training and competition. This study's primary focus was to explore athlete's coping strategies throughout the menstrual cycle. Participants (n = 12) took part in a focus group or interview, facilitated by reflections from a diary and mapping exercise. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, generating three themes: Impact of symptoms, coping strategies, and contextual constraints. Participants had increased awareness of physiological over psychological fluctuations, and associated symptoms were considered to impact practicalities of sport and performance. Participants used avoidance, acceptance, and planning to cope with the impact of menstrual symptoms. Coping options were influenced by contextual constraints, including the level of competition and type of sport. The findings showed that some participants lacked menstrual health literacy, especially in relation to psychological fluctuations. Continued efforts to raise awareness around the psychological symptoms of the menstrual cycle and its impact on performance and well-being are needed, not only for the athlete but importantly for the coaching population too. Specifically, consideration of the sporting culture and the space in which athletes feel they can communicate their coping strategies could be pivotal in moving forwards to help develop ‘period pro’ athletes.
... One open question is how best to balance the need for providing regular feedback with the risk of overwhelming or discouraging participants. Another open question is how to avoid behavioral disengagement [56] when an individual exhibits persistent goal failures. ...
This paper examines the use of text message (SMS) interventions for health-related behavioral support. It first outlines the historical progress in SMS intervention research publications and the variety of funds from US government agencies. A narrative review follows, highlighting the effectiveness of SMS interventions in key health areas, such as physical activity, diet and weight loss, mental health, and substance use, based on published meta-analyses. It then outlines advantages of text messaging compared to other digital modalities, including the real-time capability to collect information and deliver microdoses of intervention support. Crucial design elements are proposed to optimize effectiveness and longitudinal engagement across communication strategies, psychological foundations, and behavior change tactics. We then discuss advanced functionalities, such as the potential for generative artificial intelligence to improve user interaction. Finally, major challenges to implementation are highlighted, including the absence of a dedicated commercial platform, privacy and security concerns with SMS technology, difficulties integrating SMS interventions with medical informatics systems, and concerns about user engagement. Proposed solutions aim to facilitate the broader application and effectiveness of SMS interventions. Our hope is that these insights can assist researchers and practitioners in using SMS interventions to improve health outcomes and reducing disparities.
... To measure the reaction after the goal is restricted, we used The Goal Adjustment Scale (GAS, Wrosch et al., 2003) in the Slovak version (Ráczová et al., 2021). This 10-item scale rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale (from completely disagree to completely agree), captures 2 subscales -Goal disengagement and Goal reengagement. ...
Goals, which were settled earlier in life might become unattainable. Whether the reaction will be goal disengagement or reengagement of different goals might depend on the personality. The study aims to confirm the prediction power of personality traits in goal disengagement and goal reengagement and determine the possible mediation effect of proactive coping in these relationships. To confirm this, the Goal Adjustment Scale, The Proactive Coping Inventory, and Big Five Inventory-2 were completed by 318 participants (mean age 23.09; SD = 3.58; 76.7% of women). Results revealed a significant effect of extraversion and openness on both goal disengagement and goal reengagement and the effect of conscientiousness on goal disengagement. All of them were fully or partially mediated by proactive coping. The reaction to goal achievement obstacles partially depends on personality, due to its effect on the usage of proactive coping.
Contrary to the traditional belief that decision-making autonomy enhances employee well-being, we investigate the cognitive circumstances and mechanisms through which daily decision-making autonomy leads to mental fatigue. Integrating self-regulation theory with construal-level theory, we propose that daily decision-making autonomy triggers cognitive activities related to task reflexivity, which subsequently results in next-day mental fatigue. We identify trait construal level as a key moderating factor, arguing that the indirect effect of decision-making autonomy on mental fatigue through task reflexivity is particularly pronounced when employees have a low (vs. high) trait construal level. Our hypotheses received support from two experience sampling studies in the United States and China. Specifically, we found that the detrimental effects of decision-making autonomy are indirect by nature and only manifest in certain employees.
When evaluating the potential financial effects of climate change, investors demand disclosures of the climate‐related risks and opportunities that companies need to manage. We examine how and why management control over climate change performance affects investors' evaluations of such disclosures. In a series of experiments, we find that investors believe that managerial optimism is beneficial and, thus, are more willing to invest when climate‐related disclosures focus on opportunities rather than risks. This effect, however, occurs only when management has high control over the company's future climate change performance. When that control is low, investors believe that managerial realism is beneficial and, thus, are more willing to invest when these disclosures focus on risks rather than opportunities. Our study has implications for companies and standard setters considering the consequences of focusing on either risks or opportunities in climate change reporting and the conditions under which one focus or the other may be beneficial.
Objective
To explore how integrating Narrative Identity (NI) theory and the Suicidal Narrative (SN) framework into nursing practices can enhance suicide risk assessments and therapeutic engagement, promoting resilience, hope, and recovery among patients.
Methods
This study reviews existing literature on NI and SN frameworks, examining their theoretical foundations and applicability in nursing. It analyzes how these frameworks improve understanding of patient suicidality through qualitative assessment of personal narratives and identifies practical steps for implementation in clinical settings.
Results
The integration of NI and SN into nursing practices has shown potential in improving the quality of suicide risk assessments. It enables nurses to gain a deeper, empathetic understanding of the factors influencing each patient’s suicidality, fostering enhanced therapeutic engagement. Challenges such as time constraints and the need for specific training in narrative techniques are identified.
Conclusions
Incorporating NI and SN into nursing assessments can significantly enrich the suicide risk assessment process, providing a more nuanced and empathetic approach that focuses on individual patient stories. However, effective implementation requires overcoming several barriers, including enhancing nurse training in narrative methods and adjusting clinical workflows to accommodate more in-depth patient interactions.
Background: Several suicide models exist in the psychology literature, the most recent being the Narrative Crisis
Model. This model includes distal and proximal risk factors for suicide and presents potential contributions to the
etiology of suicide. However, this model has never been tested in Saudi Arabia nor using network analysis.
Aim: To investigate the Narrative Crisis Model of suicide using network analysis among Saudis.
Materials and Methods: A sample of 625 respondents participated in this study (mean age =28, SD =15.34,
median age =27, 38 % female). This sample included high school students, college students, and workers. They
completed a questionnaire that included trait vulnerabilities, suicide narrative variables, suicidal crisis syndrome,
and suicide thoughts and attempts. Data analysis was performed via network analysis using Gaussian
graphical models.
Results: Suicidal crisis syndrome, perceived burdensomeness, defeat, and goal disengagement had the highest
bridging strength centrality in the psychological network. These bridging symptoms exhibited significant associations
with suicidal thoughts (edge weights =0.25 for suicidal crisis syndrome, 0.20 for perceived burdensomeness,
0.205 for defeat, and 0.14 for goal disengagement).
Conclusion: This study among Saudi adults aligns with the Narrative Crisis Model of suicide. These findings
emphasize the importance of bridging symptoms in targeting suicide prevention.
The integrated motivational-volitional (IMV) model of suicide presents a pathway between perceived entrapment to the development of suicide ideation. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study used a sample of 106 male high-risk prisoners, to explore the predictive power of entrapment and goal factors linked to self-regulation (goal adjustment and ambivalence about personal goals) for suicide ideation. A logistic hierarchical regression showed that four factors: goal re-engagement, goal disengagement, goal ambivalence and internal entrapment, as a set, were able to predict any current suicide ideation over and above established risk factors (depression, social support, rumination and history of suicidal behaviour), [Formula: see text](8) = 45.90, p < 0.001. As internal entrapment (odds ratio = 1.16) increased, this contributed significantly to the likelihood of current suicide ideation. This adds to findings that level of internal entrapment is an important factor in understanding the presence of suicide ideation and that this may also be applicable in prisoners. Interestingly, against the direction of hypotheses, higher willingness to engage with new goals (OR = 1.21) and lower historic suicide risk (OR = 0.87), also significantly contributed to the likelihood of current suicide ideation. Findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and with consideration of this specialist participant group.
تسعى تركيا على الدوام لتكون زعيمة سياسية في المنطقة وأن تندرج ضمن أكبر عشرة اقتصاديات في العالم وتبدو تلك الخطط الطموحة لقيادة البلاد في المرحلة الحالية ممكنة التنفيذ نتيجة سياسة تورغوتأوزال أثناء وجوده في السلطة في حقبة الثمانينيات والتسعينيات من القرن الماضي والتي هدفت لتحقيق استقرار البلاد والانفتاح على العالم وبالرغم من النجاحات الأولية الملموسة إلا أن الأنشطة التي تم تنفيذها خلال تلك المدة أسفرت عن نتائج متناقضة وذلك بسبب مشكلات اقتصادية وسياسية مما تسبب في العودة إلى الاضطرابات السياسية بعد وفاة أوزال في عام 1993 وانزلقت البلاد مرة أخرى إلى سلسلة من فضائح الفساد أطاحت بحكومات ائتلافية ضعيفة واحدة تلو الأخرى. وبلغ هذا الاضطراب السياسي ذروته في الانقلاب العسكري عام 1997 ومن المفارقة أن الإرث الأكثر نجاحًا وقابلية التطبيق لتلك الاصلاحات كانت السبب في وصول حزب العدالة والتنمية برئاسة رجب طيب أردوغان إلى السلطة في عام 2002 بعد فوزه في الانتخابات فأحدث تحولا جذريا في المشهد السياسي ،واصل حزب العدالة والتنمية في السنوات الأولى حكمه بنشاط وتعميق لإصلاحات أوزال النيوليبرالية وخلق الظروف الأكثر ملائمة لرأس المال الأجنبي والتركي للاستثمار فيها. وفي العقد الأول من القرن الحادي والعشرين بدأ أردوغان وقادة الحزب في الابتعاد باستمرار عن مبادئهم النيوليبرالية السابقة.
Across varied domains, prior research has examined the impact of setbacks and goal‐inconsistent behaviors on goal pursuit. A large setback, whether a result of an external hurdle or an internally‐driven goal‐inconsistent behavior, may suggest that the goal is not really feasible and goal disengagement is ideal. Yet, a minor setback or a goal‐deviation may just be a bump in the road that can, and often should, be overcome, especially for important, long‐term goals. So, not all setbacks signal that failure is inevitable and goal pursuit should be put on hold. Forming a goal‐directed plan shifts individuals from a deliberative to an implemental mindset and is commonly recommended by both academics and practitioners to help individuals pursue important goals and disengage from unachievable goals. But are plans beneficial when small, goal‐related setbacks occur? Specifically, this article examines the impact of minor bumps in the road (experiencing small setbacks, engaging in minor goal‐inconsistent behaviors) on continued goal pursuit. In three studies, field and lab, and across two different domains (eating healthy and saving money), we (1) show that small, seemingly acceptable setbacks can negatively influence goal pursuit when one has formed a plan, and (2) empirically demonstrate that when small setbacks occur, having a plan may increase feeling of action crisis and ultimately decrease interest in continued goal pursuit.
Theorized mechanisms linking views on aging, self-regulation, and well-being have not previously been examined longitudinally. This study considers goal re-engagement as a potential mediator of longitudinal relationships between awareness of age-related change (AARC) and vitality. We expected that more positive perceptions of aging (i.e., higher AARC-gains and lower AARC-losses) at Time 1 (T1) would be associated with increases in goal re-engagement and, in turn, increases in vitality. We also examined possible moderating effects of age on associations of AARC with goal re-engagement and vitality. A sample of 408 middle-aged and older adults (60 years and over) completed three online assessments capturing AARC (gains and losses), goal re-engagement, and vitality over a 12-month period. Parallel process latent growth models were used to test for mediation. Associations among variable intercepts revealed that more positive views of aging were associated with higher levels of goal re-engagement and greater vitality. However, there was no support for the longitudinal mediation hypotheses, with T1 levels of AARC showing negligible associations with rates of change in goal re-engagement and vitality. Moderation analyses revealed a stronger association of T1 AARC-gains with the intercept for goal re-engagement at older, relative to younger ages. Although growing evidence supports cross-sectional links between views on aging, self-regulation and well-being, research with longer measurement intervals and a more comprehensive array of potential mediators is needed to conclusively identify underlying mechanisms.
Emotion regulation flexibility (ERF) has the function of enabling individuals to adapt to social
environments, and a lack of ERF is an important risk for the onset and development of mood disorders such
as anxiety and depression. It has been suggested that low task-switching is a critical factor in the lack of
ERF, but task-switching cannot benefit from traditional training approaches based on strategies and
cognitive functions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find effective approaches to improve ERF. In this
project, we aim to combine psychological and cognitive-neurological research methods to design
task-switching training programs in three dimensions: goal-situation-integration and to systematically
investigate the effects of different training methods on ERF and neural mechanisms. The main topics are:
1) investigating the mechanism of goal-switching training on ERF; 2) exploring the effect of emotion
situation-switching training on ERF; 3) using goal-situation interaction training to improve ERF and explore
its neural mechanism. Finally, a comprehensive analysis of the different effects of training methods and
brain changes will be conducted to clarify the impact of task-switching on ERF. This project will shed light
on the intrinsic process of ERF reveal the role of goal-situation task switching in neuroplasticity, and
provide innovative ideas for the development of treatments for mood disorders.
The capacity for self-regulation is crucial for older workers to maintain adaptability and well-being under aging-related challenges. Building on recent research suggesting that practices of self-regulation can enhance self-regulatory capacity, our study employs self-regulation theory to investigate how two distinct self-regulatory practices—job crafting (JC) and leisure crafting (LC)—support older workers in enhancing their work well-being through the lens of self-regulatory capacity, specifically mindfulness. Within this theoretical framework, we further explore the combined effects of JC and LC on adaptation to the aging process. A three-wave time-lagged survey was conducted among 227 older Chinese workers from science and technology enterprises. The results from latent structural equation modeling indicate that mindfulness at work mediates the relationship between crafting practices (both JC and LC) and work well-being. Moreover, JC and LC exhibit a compensatory relationship in facilitating mindfulness at work, which in turn promotes the work well-being of older workers. These findings offer a novel perspective grounded in self-regulation theory, highlighting how JC and LC contribute to successful aging by strengthening mindfulness capacity.
As physics provides the equations of motion of a body, this paper formulates, for the first time, at the conceptual/mathematical levels, the inequations of motion of an individual seeking to meet his needs/desires in an adaptive/flexible way. Successful (failed) dynamics perform a succession of moves that are, at once, satisficing (improving enough) and worthwhile (free from too many sacrifices), or not. They approach or reach needs and desires (fall into traps). They balance the desired speed of approach to a desired end (a distal promotion goal) with the size of the required immediate sacrifices to go fast (a proximal prevention goal). Therefore, each period, need/desire satisfaction success requires enough self-control to be able to make, in the long run, sufficient progress in need/desire satisfaction without enduring, in the short run, too many sacrifices. A simple example (lose or gain weight) shows that the size of successful moves must be neither too small nor too long. The appendix solves this problem , using an approximate gradient algorithm. This paper opens the door to "algorithmic psychology" which generalizes and models the famous Lewin's "topological psychology" using the recent variationality approach of stay/change human dynamics.
Background
The Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) provides a framework to decompose complex interventions into components, each defined by its known or hypothesized active ingredients. In addition to its value in planning new interventions and understanding existing ones, it can be used to help interpret findings of clinical trials and plan next steps in a research program.
Methods
This paper presents a secondary analysis in which we used the RTSS to retrospectively delineate targets and ingredients of an experimental treatment, Behavioral Activation and Problem-Solving (BA/PS), and then examined the attention control condition for overlapping ingredients that could clarify the control condition’s unanticipated effects. Three members of the research team worked with two RTSS experts to develop an RTSS specification of BA/PS using the BA/PS treatment manual and study materials. The specification and the comparison to the control condition were then shared with four other RTSS experts for refinement and consensus building.
Results
Our BA/PS intervention had seven treatment components; three were unique to the BA/PS condition, but the attention control condition contained ingredients that mirrored those found in four of the BA/PS components.
Conclusion
Our results illuminate the challenges of designing an adequate control condition for behavioral rehabilitation trials among survivors of cancer. This RTSS application was instrumental in refining our conceptual model and preparing for future research. It serves as a model for other cancer rehabilitation researchers, emphasizing the importance of intentional and transparent intervention specification to advance the field.
This study investigates the relationship between Sportive Life Satisfaction and Life Commitment. The study utilized the Sportive Life Satisfaction and Life Commitment scales, with a total of 504 participants (252 male and 252 female) volunteering for the study. The factor structures of the scales were tested using IBM
AMOS 24.0, and the hypotheses of the study were examined using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24.0 software (IBM Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA).
Given that the data set exhibited a normal distribution, parametric tests were applied. For discrete variables, an “Independent samples t-test” was conducted,
while “Pearson correlation” analyses were performed for continuous variables. The results were evaluated based on the significance level of p=.050. The effect
sizes of the independent variables on the dependent variables were assessed using “Cohen’s d.” The results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between Sportive Life Satisfaction and Life Commitment (r=.301, p < .01). This finding suggests that as sportive
life satisfaction increases, so does life commitment. Therefore, it can be said that the satisfaction derived from sportive life contributes positively to individuals’
commitment to life. This result underscores the significant impact of enjoyment from sportive life on an individual’s overall experience.
Keywords:Commitment, life, life commitment, sports, sport psychology, sportive life
Background:
While the efficacy of digital interventions for the treatment of depression is well established, comprehensive knowledge on how therapeutic changes come about is still limited. This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of research on change mechanisms in digital interventions for depression and meta-analytically evaluate indirect effects of potential mediators.
Methods:
The databases CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials investigating mediators of digital interventions for adults with depression. Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion, assessed study quality and categorized potential mediators. Indirect effects were synthesized with a two-stage structural equation modeling approach (TSSEM).
Results:
Overall, 25 trials (8110 participants) investigating 84 potential mediators were identified, of which attentional (8 %), self-related (6 %), biophysiological (6 %), affective (5 %), socio-cultural (2 %) and motivational (1 %) variables were the scope of this study. TSSEM revealed significant mediation effects for combined self-related variables (ab = −0.098; 95 %-CI: [−0.150, −0.051]), combined biophysiological variables (ab = −0.073; 95 %-CI: [−0.119, −0.025]) and mindfulness (ab = −0.042; 95 %-CI: [−0.080, −0.015]). Meta-analytical evaluations of the other three domains were not feasible.
Limitations:
Methodological shortcomings of the included studies, the considerable heterogeneity and the small number of investigated variables within domains limit the generalizability of the results.
Conclusion:
The findings further the understanding of potential change mechanisms in digital interventions for depression and highlight recommendations for future process research, such as the consideration of temporal precedence and experimental manipulation of potential mediators, as well as the application of network approaches.
Body doubling has emerged as a community-driven phenomenon primarily employed by neurodivergent individuals. In this work, we survey 220 people to investigate how, when, and why they engage in body doubling and their own definitions for it. The community roughly defines it as using the presence of others to start, stay focused on or accomplish a task. Tasks can be productivity or leisure-related. A body double can be collocated or remote, recorded or live, known or a stranger. This phenomenon remains nameless to many neurodivergent individuals; however, once presented with the term and concept, many recognize it as a strategy they have engaged in for years. We present the variety of ways people engage in body doubling (e.g., at a café, with YouTube videos), the diverse range of tasks people utilize it for (e.g., studying and working, doing dishes, cleaning, exercising, etc.), and their motivations for doing so (e.g., generating momentum, staying on task). Lastly, we present implications for future work based upon a two-part model of body doubling as a continuum of space/time and mutuality.
Age differences in the associations among intensity of regret, control attributions, and intrusive thoughts were investigated (N = 122, age range = 20–87 years). Given that the opportunities to overcome regrettable behavior decline with age, older adults’ attributions of low internal control were expected to serve self-protective functions and facilitate deactivation of regret. In younger adults, by contrast, high levels of internal-control attributions might facilitate active change of regrettable behavior, resulting in low intensities of regret. The results showed that internal-control attributions were related to high intensity of regret and intrusive thoughts in older adults. Among younger adults, however, internal-control attributions were associated with low intensity of regret and low levels of intrusive thoughts.
This quasi-experimental research investigates developmental regulation around a critical life-span transition, the “biological clock” for childbearing. The action-phase model of developmental regulation proposes contrasting control orientations in individuals approaching versus those having passed a developmental deadline. Individuals in an urgency phase close to the deadline should be invested in goal pursuit, whereas those who have passed the deadline without attaining the goal should focus on goal disengagement and self-protection. In 2 studies, women at different ages and with or without children were compared with regard to various indicators of primary and secondary control striving for goal attainment versus goal disengagement and self-protection. Findings support the action-phase model of developmental regulation. Patterns of control striving congruent with the participants' status as pre- versus postdeadline were associated with superior psychological well-being.
Socioemotional selectivity theory claims that the perception of time plays a fundamental role in the selection and pursuit of social goals. According to the theory, social motives fall into 1 of 2 general categories—those related to the acquisition of knowledge and those related to the regulation of emotion. When time is perceived as open-ended, knowledge-related goals are prioritized. In contrast, when time is perceived as limited, emotional goals assume primacy. The inextricable association between time left in life and chronological age ensures age-related differences in social goals. Nonetheless, the authors show that the perception of time is malleable, and social goals change in both younger and older people when time constraints are imposed. The authors argue that time perception is integral to human motivation and suggest potential implications for multiple subdisciplines and research interests in social, developmental, cultural, cognitive, and clinical psychology.
The usefulness of self-reported processes of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) for predicting on a correlational level the subjective indicators of successful aging was examined. The sample of Berlin residents was a subset of the participants of the Berlin Aging Study. Three domains (marked by 6 variables) served as outcome measures of successful aging: subjective well-being, positive emotions, and absence of feelings of loneliness. Results confirm the central hypothesis of the SOC model: People who reported using SOC-related life-management behaviors (which were unrelated in content to the outcome measures) had higher scores on the 3 indicators of successful aging. The relationships obtained were robust even after controlling for other measures of successful mastery such as personal life investment, neuroticism, extraversion, openness, control beliefs, intelligence, subjective health, or age.
To lay the foundation for our model, we first describe existing conceptions of successful aging, underlying assumptions of development, and criteria for success. The model presented extends the discourse on this topic in three directions: (a) It frames the discussion of successful aging in the broader context of life course development; (b) it accounts for both normative and nonnormative (i.e., exceptional) success; and (c) it integrates motivational processes into a theory of successful aging. Successful aging is equated with the development and maintenance of primary control throughout the life course, which is achieved through control-related processes that optimize selection and failure compensation functions. Selection processes regulate the choice of action goals so that diversity is maintained and positive and negative trade-offs between performance domains and life stages are taken into account. Compensation mechanisms serve to maintain, enhance, and remediate competencies and motivational resources after failure experiences. Both compensation and selection processes are motivated by desires for primary control and can be characterized in terms of primary and secondary control processes.
Study 1 established either deliberative mind-set by having Ss contemplate personal change decision or implemental mind-set by having Ss plan execution of intended personal project. Ss were subsequently requested to continue beginnings of 3 fairy tales, each describing a main character with a decisional conflict. Analysis revealed that deliberative mind-set Ss ascribed more deliberative and less implementational efforts to main characters than implemental mind-set Ss. In Study 2, Ss were asked to choose between different test materials. Either before or after making their decision, Ss were given information on deliberative and implementational thoughts unrelated to their task at hand. When asked to recall these thoughts, predecisional Ss recalled more deliberative and less implementational thoughts, whereas for postdecisional Ss the reverse was true. These findings suggest that deliberative and implemental mind-sets tune thought production and information processing.
Crises and critical life transitions activate 2 distinct but complementary modes of coping, (a) transforming developmental circumstances in accordance with personal preferences (assimilative tendency) and (b) adjusting personal preferences to situational constraints (accommodative tendency). Assimilative and accommodative tendencies were measured by a questionnaire comprising 2 independent scales (Tenacious Goal Pursuit and Flexible Goal Adjustment). Both scales predict high life satisfaction and low depression and are positively related to generalized internal control beliefs. The scales evinced an opposite relation to age: Cross-sectional analyses on a sample of 890 Ss in the age range from 34 to 63 years revealed a gradual shift from an assimilative to an accommodative mode of coping. Implications for theories of depression and successful aging are discussed.
This prospective study tested the self-complexity buffering hypothesis that greater self-complexity moderates the adverse impact of stress on depression and illness. This hypothesis follows from a model that assumes self-knowledge is represented in terms of multiple self-aspects. As defined in this model, greater self-complexity involves representing the self in terms of a greater number of cognitive self-aspects and maintaining greater distinctions among self-aspects. Subjects completed measures of stressful events, self-complexity, depression, and illness in two sessions separated by 2 weeks. A multiple regression analysis used depression and illness at Time 2 as outcomes, stressful life events and self-complexity at Time 1 as predictors, and depression and illness at Time 1 as control variables. The Stress × Self-Complexity interaction provided strong support for the buffering hypothesis. Subjects higher in self-complexity were less prone to depression, perceived stress, physical symptoms, and occurrence of the flu and other illnesses following high levels of stressful events. These results suggest that vulnerability to stress-related depression and illness is due, in part, to differences in cognitive representations of the self.
Presents an integrative theoretical framework to explain and to predict psychological changes achieved by different modes of treatment. This theory states that psychological procedures, whatever their form, alter the level and strength of self-efficacy. It is hypothesized that expectations of personal efficacy determine whether coping behavior will be initiated, how much effort will be expended, and how long it will be sustained in the face of obstacles and aversive experiences. Persistence in activities that are subjectively threatening but in fact relatively safe produces, through experiences of mastery, further enhancement of self-efficacy and corresponding reductions in defensive behavior. In the proposed model, expectations of personal efficacy are derived from 4 principal sources of information: performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. Factors influencing the cognitive processing of efficacy information arise from enactive, vicarious, exhortative, and emotive sources. The differential power of diverse therapeutic procedures is analyzed in terms of the postulated cognitive mechanism of operation. Findings are reported from microanalyses of enactive, vicarious, and emotive modes of treatment that support the hypothesized relationship between perceived self-efficacy and behavioral changes. (21/2 p ref)
Studied personality as a conditioner of the effects of stressful life events on illness onset. Two groups of middle- and upper-level 40-49 yr old executives had comparably high degrees of stressful life events in the previous 3 yrs, as measured by the Schedule of Recent Events. One group of 86 Ss suffered high stress without falling ill, whereas the other group of 75 Ss reported becoming sick after their encounter with stressful life events. Illness was measured by the Seriousness of Illness Survey (A. R. Wyler et al 1970). Discriminant function analysis, run on half of the Ss in each group and cross-validated on the remaining cases, supported the prediction that high stress/low illness executives show, by comparison with high stress/high illness executives, more hardiness, that is, have a stronger commitment to self, an attitude of vigorousness toward the environment, a sense of meaningfulness, and an internal locus of control. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
The article develops the argument that successful management of normatively less expected life events and transitions requires from the individual a greater degree of self-regulatory skills than the management of normative events. It is argued that, based on recent historical change, individuals have to master both normative and non-normative developmental demands. With regard to the mastery of non-normative developmental demands, the individual may have to play a more important and active role to compensate for a lack of social structuring and normative orientation. Based on a discussion of literature from the areas of life-span psychology, life-course sociology, and self-regulation, evidence for the importance of the individual in adaptive regulation of non-normative developmental challenges is presented.
In recent studies of the structure of affect, positive and negative affect have consistently emerged as two dominant and relatively independent dimensions. A number of mood scales have been created to measure these factors; however, many existing measures are inadequate, showing low reliability or poor convergent or discriminant validity. To fill the need for reliable and valid Positive Affect and Negative Affect scales that are also brief and easy to administer, we developed two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The scales are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period. Normative data and factorial and external evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the scales are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
This study investigated 3 broad classes of individual-differences variables (job-search motives, competencies, and constraints) as predictors of job-search intensity among 292 unemployed job seekers. Also assessed was the relationship between job-search intensity and reemployment success in a longitudinal context. Results show significant relationships between the predictors employment commitment, financial hardship, job-search self-efficacy, and motivation control and the outcome job-search intensity. Support was not found for a relationship between perceived job-search constraints and job-search intensity. Motivation control was highlighted as the only lagged predictor of job-search intensity over time for those who were continuously unemployed. Job-search intensity predicted Time 2 reemployment status for the sample as a whole, but not reemployment quality for those who found jobs over the study's duration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Proposes an integrative theoretical framework for studying psychological aspects of incentive relationships. During the time that an incentive is behaviorally salient, an organism is especially responsive to incentive-related cues. This sustained sensitivity requires postulating a continuing state (denoted by a construct, current concern) with a definite onset (commitment) and offset (consummation or disengagement). Disengagement follows frustration, accompanies the behavioral process of extinction, and involves an incentive-disengagement cycle of invigoration, aggression, depression, and recovery. Depression is thus a normal part of disengagement that may be either adaptive or maladaptive for the individual but is probably adaptive for the species. Implications for motivation; etiology, symptomatology, and treatment of depression; drug use; and other social problem areas are discussed. (41/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The question of how affect arises and what affect indicates is examined from a feedback-based viewpoint on self-regulation. Using the analogy of action control as the attempt to diminish distance to a goal, a second feedback system is postulated that senses and regulates the rate at which the action-guiding system is functioning. This second system is seen as responsible for affect. Implications of these assertions and issues that arise from them are addressed in the remainder of the article. Several issues relate to the emotion model itself; others concern the relation between negative emotion and disengagement from goals. Relations to 3 other emotion theories are also addressed. The authors conclude that this view on affect is a useful supplement to other theories and that the concept of emotion is easily assimilated to feedback models of self-regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
To satisfy the need in personality research for factorially univocal measures of each of the 5 domains that subsume most English-language terms for personality traits, new sets of Big-Five factor markers were investigated. In studies of adjective-anchored bipolar rating scales, a transparent format was found to produce factor markers that were more univocal than the same scales administered in the traditional format. Nonetheless, even the transparent bipolar scales proved less robust as factor markers than did parallel sets of adjectives administered in unipolar format. A set of 100 unipolar terms proved to be highly robust across quite diverse samples of self and peer descriptions. These new markers were compared with previously developed ones based on far larger sets of trait adjectives, as well as with the scales from the NEO and Hogan personality inventories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study addressed activation and deactivation of partnership goals in a sample of 116 recently separated or committed individuals in young adulthood and late midlife. Across adulthood, the opportunities for forming a partnership decrease dramatically. The authors argue that such deteriorating opportunity structures (developmental deadlines) call for a shift from goal realization efforts to goal disengagement. The findings showed that younger as compared with older separated persons more frequently reported partnership goals, expressed greater control striving for partnership realization, and responded more to positive than to negative information about partnerships. Separated persons in late midlife disengaged from partnership goals and redirected their resources to other social domains. A longitudinal follow-up at 15 months showed that age differences in control processes were related to improvement in emotional well-being of separated individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Study 1 established either deliberative mind-set by having Ss contemplate personal change decision or implemental mind-set by having Ss plan execution of intended personal project. Ss were subsequently requested to continue beginnings of 3 fairy tales, each describing a main character with a decisional conflict. Analysis revealed that deliberative mind-set Ss ascribed more deliberative and less implementational efforts to main characters than implemental mind-set Ss. In Study 2, Ss were asked to choose between different test materials. Either before or after making their decision, Ss were given information on deliberative and implementational thoughts unrelated to their task at hand. When asked to recall these thoughts, predecisional Ss recalled more deliberative and less implementational thoughts, whereas for postdecisional Ss the reverse was true. These findings suggest that deliberative and implemental mind-sets tune thought production and information processing.
According to J. Kuhl's (1984, 1985, and unpublished manuscript) information-processing model of depression, the chronicity of depressive mood states is maintained by so-called degenerated (unfulfillable) intentions that claim working memory capacity is needed to enact new (fulfillable) intentions. In the present experiment, an attempt was made to induce a degenerated intention in 18 hospitalized depressive patients and in 3 nondepressed control groups consisting of 10 university students, 10 hospitalized male schizophrenics, and 7 hospitalized male alcoholics. Whether depressives have an increased tendency to maintain unrealistic intentions and reduced memory capacity following suggestion of an unrealistic goal was examined. Results indicate that the tendency to encode unrealistic instructions in an intentional format appeared to be associated with a personal history of depressive episodes. In accordance with the model, the experimental manipulation (involving a clean-up task and a memory-span assessment) produced short-term memory deficits in depressive Ss, while memory capacity was unaffected for nondepressed Ss. (28 ref)
This book presents a thorough overview of a model of human functioning based on the idea that behavior is goal-directed and regulated by feedback control processes. It describes feedback processes and their application to behavior, considers goals and the idea that goals are organized hierarchically, examines affect as deriving from a different kind of feedback process, and analyzes how success expectancies influence whether people keep trying to attain goals or disengage. Later sections consider a series of emerging themes, including dynamic systems as a model for shifting among goals, catastrophe theory as a model for persistence, and the question of whether behavior is controlled or instead 'emerges'. Three chapters consider the implications of these various ideas for understanding maladaptive behavior, and the closing chapter asks whether goals are a necessity of life. Throughout, theory is presented in the context of diverse issues that link the theory to other literatures.
Theorists since D. Bakan (1966) have advocated the importance of mitigation for successful adaptation within the interpersonal domain. Although mitigation has previously been conceptualized as a balance between agency and communion (interdimensional mitigation), the circumplex framework suggests that mitigation may also be conceptualized as a balance within agency and a balance within communion (intradimensional mitigation). In the two present studies, participants collected records of their interpersonal behavior and affect subsequent to their social interactions for a period of 20 days. Random coefficient procedures were then used to examine these two contrasting models of mitigation in the prediction of affect. No empirical evidence of interdimensional mitigation was found. The findings suggest that agency and communion were each mitigated intradimensionally through moderate levels of behavioral expression.
The effect of dispositional optimism on recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery was examined in a group of 51 middle-aged men. Patients provided information at three points in time--(a) on the day before surgery, (b) 6-8 days postoperatively, and (c) 6 months postoperatively. Information was obtained relating to the patient's rate of physical recovery, mood, and postsurgical quality of life. Information was also gathered regarding the manner in which the patients attempted to cope with the stress of the surgery and its aftermath. As expected, dispositional optimism proved to be an important predictor of coping efforts and of surgical outcomes. More specifically, dispositional optimism (as assessed prior to surgery) correlated positively with manifestations of problem-focused coping and negatively with the use of denial. Dispositional optimism was also associated with a faster rate of physical recovery during the period of hospitalization and with a faster rate of return to normal life activities subsequent to discharge. Finally, there was a strong positive association between level of optimism and postsurgical quality of life at 6 months.
Behavior and experience are organized around the enjoyment and pursuit of incentives. During the time that an incentive is behaviorally salient, an organism is especially responsive to incentive-related cues. This sustained sensitivity requires postulating a continuing state (denoted by a construct, current concern) with a definite onset (commitment) and offset (consummation or disengagement). Disengagement follows frustration, accompanies the behavioral process of extinction, and involves an incentive-disengagement
cycle of invigoration, aggression, depression, and recovery.
Depression is thus a normal part of disengagement that may be either
adaptive or maladaptive for the individual but is probably adaptive for the species. The theory offers implications for motivation; etiology, symptomatology, and treatment of depression; drug use; and other social problem areas.
Patients confronted with a life-threatening or chronic disease are faced with the necessity to accommodate to their illness. An important mediator of this adaptation process is 'response shift' which involves changing internal standards, values and the conceptualization of quality of life (QOL). Integrating response shift into QOL research would allow a better understanding of how QOL is affected by changes in health status and would direct the development of reliable and valid measures for assessing changes in QOL. A theoretical model is proposed to clarify and predict changes in QOL as a result of the interaction of: (a) a catalyst, referring to changes in the respondent's health status; (b) antecedents, pertaining to stable or dispositional characteristics of the individual (e.g. personality); (c) mechanisms, encompassing behavioral, cognitive, or affective processes to accommodate the changes in health status (e.g. initiating social comparisons, reordering goals); and (d) response shift, defined as changes in the meaning of one's self-evaluation of QOL resulting from changes in internal standards, values, or conceptualization. A dynamic feedback loop aimed at maintaining or improving the perception of QOL is also postulated. This model is illustrated and the underlying assumptions are discussed. Future research directions are outlined that may further the investigation of response shift, by testing specific hypotheses and predictions about the QOL domains and the clinical and psychosocial conditions that would potentiate or prevent response shift effects.
The question of how affect arises and what affect indicates is examined from a feedback-based viewpoint on self-regulation. Using the analogy of action control as the attempt to diminish distance to a goal, a second feedback system is postulated that senses and regulates the rate at which the action-guiding system is functioning. This second system is seen as responsible for affect. Implications of these assertions and issues that arise from them are addressed in the remainder of the article. Several issues relate to the emotion model itself; others concern the relation between negative emotion and disengagement from goals. Relations to 3 other emotion theories are also addressed. The authors conclude that this view on affect is a useful supplement to other theories and that the concept of emotion is easily assimilated to feedback models of self-regulation.
This chapter investigates how individuals react when they are unable to exert control over their environment—when they are unable to have options or reach goals that are important to them, or when they are forced to endure outcomes that they would not voluntarily choose. It reviews a number of theories that have focused on the importance of control over one's environment. Some investigators have suggested that the perception of inability to exert control over one's environment can even result in sudden death from coronary disease or other factors. Furthermore, feelings of lack of control have also been viewed as a cause of many types of antisocial behaviors. There are two theories that make rather specific predictions concerning reactions to lack or loss of control: Brehm's theory of psychological reactance and Seligman's learned helplessness model. The chapter discusses these theoretical orientations in some detail. Because these two formulations appear to make contradictory predictions, it attempts to integrate them into a single theoretical statement. The chapter also reviews the relevant evidence, and discusses a number of unresolved theoretical problems.
Prior research has found that self-reports of the tendency to generalize from a bad outcome to a broader sense of self-worth are associated with depression. In contrast, self-reports of the tendency to maintain high standards for self-evaluation and the tendency to be self-critical about the failure to meet standards were unrelated to depression. In the six studies reported here we attempted to extend that finding in several ways. A new assessment device was created (Study 1), with more sharply focused items than those of the original scale. Using the new device, we replicated several previous findings (Studies 2-6), including the association between depression and generalization and the absence of association between depression and either self-criticism or high standards. This pattern was obtained in a sample of West German students (Study 3) and in a sample of psychiatric inpatients (Study 5) as well as among American students (Studies 2, 4, and 6). Studies 2-4 tested for, but found no evidence of, a unidirectional causal connection between generalization and depression, assessed via cross-lag correlations. Study 6 found an additional association between depression and the self-reported tendency to perseverate mentally on failures. The most plausible interpretation of this finding, however, appears to be that perseveration is a manifestation of the tendency to generalize.
This prospective study of a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus positive (HIV+) and HIV negative (HIV-) caregiving partners of men with AIDS examined the contextual effects of caregiving and bereavement on coping and the association between coping and positive and negative mood during the five months leading up to their partner's death and the five months following their partner's death. Participants used more problem-focused types of coping and more cognitive escape avoidance during caregiving than during bereavement. Six of the eight types of coping that were assessed were associated with negative mood, controlling for prior negative mood. These associations differed as a function of context (caregiving versus bereavemenO. Five types of coping were associated with positive mood, controlling for prior positive mood. HIV serostatus did not affect the relation between coping and mood.
The CES-D scale is a short self-report scale designed to measure depressive symptomatology in the general population. The items of the scale are symptoms associated with depression which have been used in previously validated longer scales. The new scale was tested in household interview surveys and in psychiatric settings. It was found to have very high internal consistency and adequate test- retest repeatability. Validity was established by pat terns of correlations with other self-report measures, by correlations with clinical ratings of depression, and by relationships with other variables which support its construct validity. Reliability, validity, and factor structure were similar across a wide variety of demographic characteristics in the general population samples tested. The scale should be a useful tool for epidemiologic studies of de pression.
This paper develops the argument that goal disengagement forms an essential aspect of effective self-regulation. The argument derives from a consideration of processes inherent in the life-span development of the individual, as well as processes inherent in the moment-to-moment regulation of action. Evidence is reviewed to support the idea that goal disengagement can be beneficial to psychological well-being. In addition, the article addresses the nature of disengagement. It is argued that disengagement requires a person to withdraw not only effort but also commitment from unattainable goals, and is most adaptive if it leads to pursuing new meaningful goals. The paper also discusses the manner in which various aspects of the self might support or hinder the disengagement process. The paper closes by addressing the break point between goal engagement and disengagement and suggesting several directions for future research.
This chapter discusses social roles in adulthood and old age. There are three broad social role categories: family, work, and community. The work category appears to be the simplest of the three because it contains only the worker role. But this is such a pervasive role and it has so many ramifications when seen through the experiences of men and women from the ages of 40 to 80 that we soon cease to think of it as a simple category. The family roles that have been selected for study by social scientists are parent, grandparent, spouse, homemaker, member of a kin or extended family group, and adult child of aging parents. The community category includes about all role behavior beyond the family and work roles. Roles in this category that have been defined and studied are association member, church member, citizen, friend, and neighbor. In addition to these three broad categories, which account for nearly all of the action and time of adults, there is leisure activity. This cannot be called a role unless the ordinary definition of a social role is stretched somewhat. Our society has not yet defined a set of expectations that are appropriate for the use of leisure time with the clarity that it has defined the behaviors and attitudes expected of the other roles on the list. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Groups of papers describe (a) research programs on the relations between stressful life events (SLE) and episodes of physical illness, (b) clinical research on SLE as related to types of physical and psychiatric disorder, (c) community research on SLE and psychiatric symptomatology, and (d) methodological research on SLE. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Argues that (1) it is not entirely clear that the imagery of an extremely age-graded, sequenced role structure fully captures the social reality of highly developed societies and (2) it is doubtful that in premodern or early modern societies, age grading and sequencing was lacking to the degree implied in the theory of life-course institutionalization. It is noted that the "chronologization" thesis, which denotes the close link between chronological age and social categories or roles, tends to disregard the fact that considerable groups within modern societies never really enter into an age-graded, sequenced occupational structure nor formally retire. Evidence is presented that suggests a deinstitutionalization rather than a further institutionalization of the familial or private part of the life course. It is concluded that the consequences of the institutionalization process for the individual self are likely to undermine the age grading and sequencing of social roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Abstract This paper briefly reviews the literature on stress and coping in families of developmentally handicapped children and proposes an alternative way for conceptualizing some of the psychological processes involved. The approach specifies how threats to certain human needs lead to predictable patterns of appraisal and coping. The usefulness of this alternative is demonstrated for families of autistic children and the theoretical and clinical implications are discussed
Patients confronted with a life-threatening or chronic disease are faced with the necessity to accommodate to their illness. An important mediator of this adaptation process is 'response shift' which involves changing internal standards, values and the conceptualization of quality of life (QOL). Integrating response shift into QOL research would allow a better understanding of how QOL is affected by changes in health status and would direct the development of reliable and valid measures for assessing changes in QOL. A theoretical model is proposed to clarify and predict changes in QOL as a result of the interaction of: (a) a catalyst, referring to changes in the respondent's health status; (b) antecedents, pertaining to stable or dispositional characteristics of the individual (e.g. personality); (c) mechanisms, encompassing behavioral, cognitive, or affective processes to accommodate the changes in health status (e.g. initiating social comparisons, reordering goals); and (d) response shift, defined as changes in the meaning of one's self-evaluation of QOL resulting from changes in internal standards, values, or conceptualization. A dynamic feedback loop aimed at maintaining or improving the perception of QOL is also postulated. This model is illustrated and the underlying assumptions are discussed. Future research directions are outlined that may further the investigation of response shift, by testing specific hypotheses and predictions about the QOL domains and the clinical and psychosocial conditions that would potentiate or prevent response shift effects.
Do favorable beliefs about the self, the future, and one's degree of control over events compromise one's ability to recognize what one cannot accomplish? Previous studies indicating that people with favorable self-beliefs spend more time on unsolvable tasks typically examined persistence with respect to a single unsolvable task or set of tasks. To test whether such seemingly maladaptive persistence would occur in the presence of alternative tasks, we varied whether an initial set of seven unsolvable anagrams was followed by 14 solvable anagrams and examined problem-solving efforts among college students (N = 96) given a 20-min time limit. In the absence of alternatives, most participants worked on the unsolvable trials until the end of the time limit; however, in the presence of alternatives, participants high in optimism or self-mastery beliefs who were not allowed to return to previous trials disengaged from the unsolvable anagrams nearly 4 min sooner than participants low in such beliefs. Additionally, optimists tended to outperform participants low in optimism on the subsequent solvable trials when these trials were said to test an aspect of verbal intelligence different from the initial set. These results suggest that people high in optimism and self-mastery are able to disengage from unsolvable tasks in order to allocate effort to solvable tasks. Implications for the study of nonproductive persistence, the adaptiveness of positive beliefs, and the modification of coping efforts are discussed.